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The US justice department has released more than 3m pages of documents related to its investigation into the disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, in a long-awaited announcement that appears to represent the bulk of the so-called Epstein files that have dogged Donald Trump politically.
While an analysis is still under way, the release exposes previously unknown financial ties and social connections between Epstein and prominent figures in the US and UK – including some in the president’s orbit.
One back-and-forth email chain between Epstein and Elon Musk in 2012 appears to show the world’s richest billionaire responding to the question “how many people will you be for the heli[copter] to the island” with “what day/night will be the wildest party on =our island?”
Musk, you may recall, formerly served as an unelected official in the Trump administration, running the “department of government efficiency” (Doge).
Documents also revealed that Howard Lutnick, Trump’s commerce secretary, planned a visit to Epstein’s private island in December 2012, despite claiming last year that he and his wife had been so “revolted” by Epstein around 2005 that they decided to “never be in a room with that disgusting person ever again”.
A day after the planned meeting, the emails appear to show that Epstein’s assistant forwarded Lutnick a message from Epstein that read: “Nice seeing you.”
US justice department releases more than 3 million new pages of Epstein files
A group of Epstein survivors released a statement condemning the justice department for naming victims while in some cases redacting the names of the accused.
The justice department also established an email inbox for victims to report redaction concerns and will allow members of Congress to view unredacted portions under confidentiality agreements. Democratic congressman Ro Khanna, who co-authored the Epstein Files Transparency Act to secure their official release, said the redactions are potentially suspicious.
US Senate approves deal to fund government and discuss ICE restrictions
In a 71-29 tally, the Senate overcame opposition from a handful of Republicans to rally behind a deal the president struck with Democrats, an unusual display of bipartisanship as tensions rise nationally over the presence of Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) agents in US cities.
The package still needs approval by the House of Representatives, which is out of session and not scheduled to return until Monday, meaning a partial shutdown of the federal government was expected to begin when funding lapses at midnight Friday.
DoJ opens federal civil rights investigation into killing of Alex Pretti
“We’re looking at everything that would shed light on that day,” Todd Blanche, deputy to the attorney general, Pam Bondi, said at a press conference on Friday morning in Washington.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) also said the FBI would lead the investigation into Pretti’s killing.
Ex-CNN anchor arrested over anti-ICE protest at Minnesota church, later released
Don Lemon, the former CNN anchor, was released on Friday after being arrested late on Thursday on charges that he violated federal law during a protest at a church in Minnesota earlier this month.
Outside a federal courthouse in downtown Los Angeles after his release, Lemon vowed not to be silenced, saying: “I have spent my entire career covering the news. I will not stop now.”
Mexico president says Trump tariffs on Cuba’s oil suppliers could trigger humanitarian crisis
Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, has warned that Donald Trump’s move to slap new tariffs on countries sending oil to Cuba could trigger a humanitarian crisis on the island, which is already suffering from chronic fuel shortages and regular blackouts.
The US president signed an executive order on Thursday declaring a national emergency and laying the groundwork for such tariffs, ratcheting up the pressure to topple the communist government in Havana.
Trump says he believes Iran wants to make deal as he extols size of US ‘armada’
“We have a large armada, flotilla, call it whatever you want, heading toward Iran right now, even larger than what we had in Venezuela,” the US president told reporters on Friday.
“Hopefully we’ll make a deal. If we do make a deal, that’s good. If we don’t make a deal, we’ll see what happens.”
Catching up? Here’s what happened on 29 January 2026.
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